


Gloom Boys

by Goldenonyx



Series: Max's Naruto November [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Except Kushina, M/M, Minato and Kushina survived au, Naruto has identity issues, Uchiha clan is alive, inspired by gloom boys by waterparks, sasuke is an idiot, they're all idiots, we stan Itachi just in general
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 14:34:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21272774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldenonyx/pseuds/Goldenonyx
Summary: Sasuke was proud of many things he’d manage to accomplish so far in his life, but what he was the most proud of was how little effort it took him to rile Naruto up. With only two words his entire demeanor changed, from closed off and distracted to alert and heated, the fire in his eyes was back, and Sasuke was ready.Or Naruto spends so much time trying to fit into "The Hokage's Son" role that he isn't himself, and Sasuke just wants him to stop with the bullshit.





	Gloom Boys

Everyone knew who Naruto was before they had even started at the academy; he was the Hokage’s son, it was just a piece of information widely known. Other things were said about him as well, whispers between mothers and murmurs in the streets, but Sasuke had never paid them any attention. Hokage’s son or not, he would prove just how much stronger the Uchiha clan was when the two finally met. By the time he was finally able to start at the academy, he had built up his own version of what he thought the other boy would be like, someone proud and kind like the Hokage, loyal and determined. Enough to give Sasuke a real fight, a real challenge, a battle he’d thought about and prepared for so long there was no way he’d lose. Instead, what he found was an empty shell of a boy, a boy who kept his head down and did his work, arriving just in time for class and leaving once it was over. At the time he hadn’t seen it for what it was, he had merely seen Naruto as someone cold, someone who was so aware of who he was he refused to acknowledge those he didn’t deem worth his time. Sasuke had wanted a rival. He was so sure a rival was what he would find, so the lack of acknowledgement made him falter.

By the time genin teams were to be announced, Sasuke had lost the spark that had once drove him. He graduated top of his class, Naruto right behind him, but it felt hollow. There should have been more of a fight, Sasuke Uchiha versus the Hokage’s son, battling for the top academy spot, but it wasn’t. Every time they were paired together in a match Sasuke won, but it was bland. Naruto clearly had the ability to put up a good fight, even win a few, but he never gave as much as Sasuke knew he had. He didn’t understand. He knew Naruto was good, great even, but he just didn’t try. Sasuke had quickly given up on the person he had envisioned Naruto to be, however from close observation he realized he was actually pretty spot on, or at least, he should have been.

It wasn’t until they were officially on a team together that Sasuke started pushing. They were teammates now, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to push all of that unused potential out of the other boy. Sasuke was never the motivational one, he’s people skills in general were below average, so he did the only thing he knew how; he critiqued everything he could about Naruto, his spiky hair, his fighting stance, the answers he gave to Kakashi’s questions. It took some time, some jabs from Sakura and looks from Kakashi, but he finally started getting the reactions from Naruto he wanted. What started as confused looks slowly morphed into retorts, and every time that fire ignited in his eyes, Sasuke felt pride.

He remembered one night when Itachi was home between missions he’d asked about it, wondering what on earth Sasuke had done to get keeps-to-himself Naruto riled up with him. At the time he had merely shrugged, instead asking Itachi about his mission. It wouldn’t be until way later that he’d think about it again, really think about it, that he finally came to a realization. The Naruto he had known for so many years, that everyone had known, wasn’t the real Naruto. He was always “The Hokage’s Son” first, no matter what he did that’s the first thing people would think, so he acted accordingly. At first, Sasuke had been guilty of that too, he had focused on the title rather than the person, but over time his focus had shifted, and that shift had granted him with something special, a glimpse at Naruto, not the Hokage’s son, but Naruto Uzumaki. And once Sasuke had realized that, it was over.

He had wanted to say something sooner, he had actually planned on cornering him the next day, but that’s never been how they’ve worked. They bicker, they fight, and by now Sasuke would even say they were friends, but they never _talked_. It wasn’t until they were deep in the mountains on their way home from a mission that the words came tumbling out. It was dark and they had just settled down for the night in a shallow alcove when the wind called out to him, prompting him that no time was better than now. He had intended to go into this big long speech where he mentioned what he knew about Naruto based off of years of observation, but seeing as his mouth and brain didn’t always cooperate, what came out was –

“Why are you so cold”

It wasn’t until he saw the confused look on Naruto’s face that it registered how much of an idiot he was. He’d actually put thought into this, he’d actually _worried_ about this, and yet here he was being the colossal idiot only his brother knew him to be.

“I have a higher body temperature than most, so I’m fine. Why, are you cold?” Sasuke just glared at him, earning him a misinterpreted grin as Naruto shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over, almost hitting Sasuke in the face if he’d reacted a second later.

“That’s not what I meant,” he grumbled as he absolutely tossed the jacket back and most definitely did not put it on. “I mean, why aren’t you Naruto?”

“I am Naruto”

“Damnit, _you _know_ what I mean_. It’s like you’re the Hokage’s son first and Naruto second. Like you’re trying so hard to play a part you think everyone expects but it’s not _you_.” Sasuke was about 97% sure Naruto knew what he meant the first time, but since he’d started the conversation he was going to finish it. At this point he didn’t care if he looked like an idiot, because in the end they were both idiots. He mentally hit himself for the whole ‘why aren’t you Naruto’ thing.

“My dad works so hard keeping the village safe, I don’t want to make things harder for him,” Naruto shrugged, his shoulders hunched in as his eyes traced the cracks in the rock. Sasuke knew that was meant to be the end of it, and most people would probably accept that answer and move on, but Sasuke knew Naruto, the real Naruto, and he wanted a real reason why he seemed to be the only one who did.

“Who cares”

Sasuke was proud of many things he’d manage to accomplish so far in his life, but what he was the most proud of was how little effort it took him to rile Naruto up. With only two words his entire demeanor changed, from closed off and distracted to alert and heated, the fire in his eyes was back, and Sasuke was ready.

“What do you mean who cares? _I care_. What would people think if the Hokage’s son went around causing trouble all the time? What would the Hokage think? He worked so hard to get to where he is and what kind of son would I be if I only made everything harder?” What had started off as anger quickly faded into more of a sullen sadness, but by the time Naruto had stopped talking a silent rage had filled Sasuke.

“Are you a fucking idiot, you’re just as bad as the rest of them. Hokage’s son this, Hokage’s son that. You are the Hokage’s son, and you’re Naruto, whose father just so happens to be the hokage. You’re Naruto first stupid, nothing after that matters. Hell, I’m an Uchiha, you know how hard that can be sometimes? All I ever hear from my parents is how much better Itachi is, but it got pretty damn boring living in his shadow. I’m not just Itachi’s little brother, I’m not just as Uchiha; I’m Sasuke, and if that isn’t enough then what’s the point.”

“I know who I am, I know I’m Naruto, but-“

“What did I just say? If being Naruto isn’t enough then you aren’t going to find whatever it is you’re looking for. You don’t have a problem being Naruto with me, just don’t think too hard about it; not like that’s ever been a problem before.” The twitch of his eyebrow told Sasuke that Naruto had caught his jab, but before he could retort Sasuke decided that this was probably the time to come to some sort of resolution.

“Look, I’m not saying to just drop the act, but you have people around you who already see you as Naruto, you may as well show them what that means. Sakura and Kakashi deserve it more than anyone.”

With the long silence that followed, Naruto staring off into the trees, Sasuke decided that the conversation was over. He’d said what he needed to say, not how he had planned but the words were out there now, and all he could do now was sit back and let Naruto take over. He really did know what it felt like to mold yourself into someone others would approve of, but he also knew how freeing it was to break out of. Tomorrow he’d go back to being his snarky asshole self, but today, in the middle of nowhere wrapped in Naruto’s jacket, he was more than okay with having an actual _conversation_. He knew he wasn’t a good motivator, he knew his people skills were less than average, but he knew Naruto, and that’s really all that mattered.

“Hey Sasuke”

“Hm”

“You never really seemed to care all that much about anything back at the academy.”

“Mhmm”

“Why?”

‘It was too easy’ or ‘I didn’t have to’ both would have been accepted as Sasuke-like answers, an easy way to end the conversation and drift into the sleep that had almost claimed him, but instead his sleep drenched brain decided that the perfect answer would be –

“The only thing I cared about was you”

“Oh”

…

“Wait-“

After reading the mission report over a few times in the days that followed, Minato still had no idea how his son managed to receive a black eye. Seeing the way a grumpy Sasuke was followed back into the village by a grinning Naruto, Kushina knew exactly how her son got a black eye.


End file.
